First West Nile Cases Of The Year Confirmed In New York City

The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed that two New Yorkers tested positive for West Nile. The two patients, a 73 year-old woman in Queens and a 60-year old man in Bronx became ill in late July and were hospitalized in early August with encephalitis and meningitis, respectively.

Both patients are recovering, the woman still in the hospital, while the man has already been discharged. While the man had left New York City recently, and thus could have been infected elsewhere, the woman have not left the Big Apple in a long time.

According to the NYC-DHMH, last year, there were 18 confirmed cases of West Nile, and three of these patients died. Citywide vector surveillance shows an increased percentage of West Nile-positive mosquito pools relative to last year’s numbers. This year, WN-positive mosquito pools have been found in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island, with most positive pools in Queens and Staten Island. Numbers can be found here.

Accordingly, the NYC-DHMH is conducting larvicide [probably Bti] in parts of Staten Island, the Queens and the Bronx, as well as adulticide treatments in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Reported by The bite of a mosquito

On a related West Nile new San Francisco Chronicle reported today that officials say a 72-year-old Buena Park woman has become the first person to die this year of the West Nile virus in California.